From Neglected Wife to CEO’s Obsession novel Chapter 105

All I felt for him was gratitude, nothing more.

The wall between us was already too high, the scars too deep. There was no going back, no way to remember what we used to be.

As I turned around, I was surprised to see Ryan standing nearby, his eyes cold as he glared at John—who looked completely defeated.

“Ryan, what are you doing here? Did you need something?” I asked.

He broke his stare and nodded politely, his expression softening. “No, Ms. Greenwood. You seem busy. I’ll handle things out here.”

Relieved, I closed my office door behind me and sat down at my desk, my gaze landing on the burn mark John had left behind.

I’d always heard John was trouble, but I never imagined he’d sink this low.

Now I’d made an enemy. If I didn’t get rid of him for good, I’d never have peace at work again.

I opened my cloud drive and found a folder called “Sins.” One by one, I clicked through the files, a plan slowly forming in my mind.

The office grew quiet again. Everyone was back at their desks, heads down, pretending nothing happened.

A couple of messages popped up on my phone from Remy.

“Don’t worry, babe. I’ve got your back. If he messes with you again, I’ll make sure he never works in Georgia Bay again.”

“Avery, I miss you so much. It’s been so hard without you at home. I can’t sleep at night, just lying there thinking about you. This will all be over soon, I promise. Please wait for me—just a little longer. When it’s done, I’ll come get you myself and explain everything. Please believe me, you’re the only one I love. I’ll never let you go, not ever.”

I stared at his words, trying to understand how a man who’d already betrayed me could ask me to wait for him, to trust him.

How could sleeping with someone else ever be explained away?

Even if he had a thousand good reasons, cheating is cheating. Nothing could change that.

Marissa hated that Cindy was a girl. More than once, she’d hit Cindy when Remy wasn’t around. I forced Marissa to apologize, which completely broke our relationship.

For six years, I gave Cindy everything I had. I truly loved her like my own daughter.

And now, she called me a stepmom, said she didn’t want me in her life anymore.

It felt like someone was squeezing my heart with a fist full of thorns, every heartbeat sending sharp pain through my whole body.

If I could, I’d turn back time to the very beginning, to when nothing had happened yet.

If only I hadn’t gone for that checkup that day. If only I’d never said yes to Remy.

I just wanted to live my own life, to be myself—free.